22. Huxley
HUXLEY
T he inside of the SUV is a tomb of leather and expensive silence.
Outside, the world is moving too fast—headlights cutting through the thick Hamptons fog as we race back toward the estate.
Beside me, Gwendaly is slumped against the door, her hands curled into tight fists.
She looks like she’s waiting for the executioner, and after what I just saw on that dock, I’m tempted to hand him the axe.
"You really were going to do it," I say, the words scraping out of my throat. "You were going to sign a contract with a man who sold your blueprints before the ink was even dry."
Gwendaly doesn't look at me. She stares out the window at the blurred trees. "I was looking for an out, Huxley. You gave me a folder that said my mother’s life was worth zero. What was I supposed to do? Wait for you to finish the job?"
"You could have asked! You could have come to my office instead of sneaking out to meet your ex on a dark pier." I lean forward, my hands gripping the edge of the seat until the leather groans. "How long has it been going on, Gwen?"
She finally turns, her eyes wide with shock and exhaustion. "How long has what been going on?"
"The secret meetings. The late-night calls. Did you call him right after I fell asleep in the studio? Was that part of the plan? Distract me with an 'emotional connection' so you could run to him the second my back was turned?"
Gwendaly lets out a short, sharp laugh. "Are you serious? You think I was having an affair with Bancroft? After what happened between us last night?"
"I think you’re a Luckett. And Lucketts do what they have to do to protect their name.
Bancroft has been hanging around since the yacht, looking at you like he’s just waiting for me to fail.
And tonight, you gave him exactly what he wanted.
" My pulse is a frantic, jagged rhythm. The jealousy isn't logical; it’s a physical weight.
"I saw the way you looked at him on that dock.
You were ready to jump into his car. You were ready to be a Henderson. "
"I was ready to be free!" she shouts, her voice echoing in the car. "Bancroft was a business exit, Huxley! He told me he found a loophole. He told me he could save the fashion line. I didn't care about him—I cared about not being destroyed by a man who treats my heart like a line item!"
"A business exit." I repeat the words, letting them settle into the cold pit of my stomach. "Is that what you call it when a man touches your hair? When he looks at you like you’re the only thing that matters while I’m in the house fighting my father to keep your company from being sold?"
"He touched my hair because we’ve known each other for twenty years! It didn't mean anything!"
"It meant everything to me," I say. "I sat in that office and broke my own security protocols to get you that override. I took a risk that could tank my company just to make sure you didn't lose Savannah. And while I’m doing that, you’re at Pier 14 negotiating a new deal with a man who hates me."
The SUV swerves as we take a sharp turn into the estate. The tires scream against the gravel.
"Huxley, listen to me," she says, her voice softening, reaching out for my arm. "I didn't sign it. I saw the truth about Bancroft before you even got there. I realized he was just another version of the same trap."
I pull my arm back, the contact feeling like a burn. "But you went. You chose him first. You didn't trust me enough to wait for an explanation. You ran to the first person who offered you a way out."
"Because you made being with you feel like a prison sentence!"
We skid to a halt in front of the main entrance. The security team is already out, their radios a constant chatter. The estate lights are blaring, but the house feels dark. My father has already started the wipe. The servers are losing Luckett data as we speak.
I step out of the car, not waiting for the driver. Gwendaly follows me, her emerald dress torn at the hem, her hair a mess.
"Huxley, wait!" she calls out as I march toward the library.
I stop at the top of the steps, turning to look at her. The moonlight is harsh, catching the wetness in her eyes. The betrayal is a wall I can't climb over. I see her standing there, the woman who whispered she was falling for me while she had an escape car waiting.
"You want to save your company, Gwendaly?" I ask, my voice flat. "Then go to the library. Xyrel is in there trying to stop the data wipe. If you’re as good an architect as you claim, maybe you can help her. But don't expect me to hold the door open for you anymore."
"Huxley, please. Last night... it was real. I meant what I said."
"Last night was a mistake," I say. I look her up and down—the emerald silk, the mahogany skin, the defiant tilt of her chin. "I thought you were the one person who wasn't playing a part in this transaction."
"I wasn't!"
"Yes, you were." I take a step toward her.
"You're a Luckett through and through. You use people until the contract doesn't suit you anymore, and then you look for the next person to buy your way out.
You didn't want a partner. You wanted a savior, and when I didn't fit the mold, you went back to Bancroft. "
I let out a short, cold breath.
"I spent weeks wondering if I was the one who was too broken for this. I thought I was the cold one, and you were the heart." I shake my head. "But I had it backward. I’m the one who risked everything tonight. You’re the one who was looking for the better deal."
Gwendaly stands there, her chest heaving. She looks like I’ve just systematically dismantled her entire world.
"You really think that poorly of me?" she whispers.
"I think you're exactly who I thought you were in Napa," I say, the finality of the statement closing the door. "A beautiful asset with a very expensive price tag. Go fix your servers, Gwendaly. The business needs you."
I turn and walk into the house, the clicking of my shoes on the marble the only sound in the hallway. I don't look back. I can't. If I look back, I’ll see the woman I almost lost my mind over.
I’ve won the war against my father. I’m about to stop the wipe. I’m going to save her legacy.
But as I step into the room, I realize that in saving the company, I’ve officially lost the girl.